Cravings
by Child of Loki
Summary: Sort of a sequel to my fic, Awakenings. Vala's having some cravings...Can Mitchell fulfill all her requests? CV
1. Breakfast

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1 or its characters…**

**Author's note: This I wrote purely for pleasure, decided to post on the off-chance it might entertain someone else, too. I know it's not a popular pairing, doesn't quite make sense with the plots the writers of the show set up, blah, blah, blah…But I'm just playing here, so give me a break! Anyway, this is sort of…well, is a sequel to Awakenings (but you don't have to read the earlier fic to know what's going on).**

CRAVINGS

Cameron Mitchell had been true to his word.

Vala had found herself for want of nothing since she had moved into his apartment a few months into her pregnancy. That had been three weeks ago, and she felt spoiled beyond reason. Everything she had asked of him, he had provided, and for the most part without qualm or quibble. But there was one thing Vala wanted that she hadn't gotten.

But she hadn't exactly asked, either…

Cameron stirred. She knew he was awake, but she pretended that she wasn't. Spying on him had become a tradition for her. Even though she had been living with him, upon his sincere request, Vala was fairly certain that she still wasn't really seeing him, the real him. He was always doing things for her, pandering to her. It was like he was putting himself on hold, not that she didn't appreciate the pampering. She was just feeling a little guilty about it, and insanely curious, almost desperate, to really know him, the father of her unborn child.

So, she waited to see what he would do, to catch a glimpse of him with his guard down. He wouldn't wake her, since there was no rush to be anywhere. He'd just do whatever he'd do if she wasn't there. Those were her favourite moments; observing the creature in his natural habitat. And just to make it more interesting this morning, she had made sure she was still cuddled up snuggly to him, just to see what he'd do. The ploy made her feel slightly guilty, knowing that he had barely gotten used to sleeping in the same bed as her (supposedly, she was a flailer, which she wasn't sure of…although she had woken up in the middle of the bed in a tangle of sheets to find Cam on the floor with a lonely pillow on several occasions.) but it was just too much fun to resist.

Allowing himself a few minutes to lay in serene, undisturbed silence, Cam considered the situation. He was awake. He hated lying in bed awake, especially in the morning, when it was time to get up and do something, anything, besides lay there. But waking Vala didn't seem like all that pleasant a prospect. And given how tightly she was intertwined around him, his getting up would assure her arousal from sleep. He wasn't sure whether she was a morning person or not under normal circumstances, but the hormones had seemed to make her mercurial at best. If he accidentally woke her, she might murder him. Then again, she could be fine, cheerful even. He attempted to calculate the odds and failed.

Why had he ever agreed to this? Having her move in was perfectly acceptable. In fact he had wanted her there, had wanted to be part of the pregnancy (more than he already apparently had been). But sleeping in the same bed? He knew it was a bad idea from the beginning. That's why he had given her his room, and settled on taking the couch. Well, he had done that in order to obviate the awkwardness between people who had had sex but didn't quite remember it (or were too embarrassed to try) who suddenly found themselves in an intimate sort of situation again. The awkwardness that _had_ arisen was of rather a different nature.

He should've said 'no.'

But he hadn't. And he didn't see how he could have refused her. She had spoken his name so softly, had looked so sad and lonely, pawing at the ground with her toe and averting her eyes as she related her request that he sleep beside her. The next day when he had to report in to duty absolutely exhausted, he knew it hadn't been a wise decision. But seeing how refreshed and happy she was over the same night's sleep that had been tumultuous to him killed any notion Cam had possessed about the superiorly blissful rest of couch cushions.

Needless to say, it hadn't been easy finding their sleeping groove. He thought they had just settled into it, too, and then he woke up to find her on top of him again. Maybe it was unwise to risk waking her, but simply lying there was driving him insane despite the pleasantness of a momentarily serene and silent Vala.

Managing to slip out of bed and Vala's surprisingly vice-like grip around his neck, Cam breathed a sigh of relief as he stretched then headed to the bathroom.

Vala smirked as she rolled over, after taking in the sight of Cameron stretching like a large, feral beast. It was probably something she shouldn't admit, but she so enjoyed watching him, taking particular interest in the way his muscles tensed and rippled under his clothing. And he had shut the door behind him. Plunging her face into a pillow, she muffled a giggle. She was pregnant with his child and he was too embarrassed to pee in front of her, even when he thought she was asleep.

_He won't be pee shy after I have my way with him!_

The thought startled Vala and she hastily shoved it aside. Really, she shouldn't be that surprised. She had been suppressing some urges for a while, a long while…it had been such a _long_ while. Okay, really not that long, but it felt like it when the heat and need crept up on her, more like pounced on her and left her reeling. _It must be the hormones._ At least, it was easier to blame the hormones, the growing child inside her, wreaking havoc upon her body.

Speaking of,

"I'm _starving_," she moaned overdramatically as Cam came out of the bathroom and she propped herself up on her elbow to face him and pout. He crouched down, folding his arms on the edge of the bed, making himself eye-level with her.

"How do you feel about pancakes?" he asked her, dispensing with pleasantries he knew he'd never coax out of her if she wasn't in the mood. He had learned his lesson with the "good morning…what the _hell _is so _good _about it, I feel like I'm going to vomit all of my internal organs out" tirade.

"Mm…perfect," Vala cooed, shifting to lie on her back, her hand absently moving in wide circles over her minutely pregnant belly. She had just barely begun to show. "With blueberries?" she added timidly, as if he'd refuse her.

"Blueberries?" he repeated, a smile creeping up on his somewhat tired-looking face. "Now we're talking breakfast."

But blueberry pancakes were sweet, very sweet. She needed something salty, too. Flipping back onto her side to face him, she eagerly made a further request, "And bacon?"

"Bacon? Sure," he affirmed, smiling widely as he observed the process of Vala forming her pregnancy-influenced order for breakfast. This one was turning out rather normal, so far… The worst had been last week, when she discovered a taste for, more like obsession with, sardines. There were still five or so tins stacked in the cupboard.

"Oh! And eggs!" she called after him as he made for the kitchen. His head popped back in around the door.

"What kind?" he asked. She genuinely smiled her most jubilant smile at him, knowing that he was putting up with so much when she could remember numerous times in the past where he barely tolerated her and she hadn't been putting such demands upon him. Before this was through, she would surely drive the poor man mad.

"Fried!" she announced. The thought of greasy and runny eggs suddenly made her feel queasy. "No! Wait. Scrambled!"

She winced along with him, knowing the cause. Fifteen minutes into the day and she had already given him a headache. Vala let herself feel guilty for a moment until a sudden wave of feeling like the universe was pressing in on her reminded her exactly why he was answering her every beck and call. They had accidentally conceived a child. And she was the one who had to carry it, nourish and protect it until it was born and equal responsibility for it could be taken by them both. Until then, the least he could do was take care of her!

"Anything else you want?" he asked sarcastically, giving in to the exasperation of waiting on the woman hand and foot.

_You!_

"Nope," Vala said in what she hoped was a pleasant manner, pushing aside the outspoken voice in her head that insisted she jump the poor abused man. "That would be perfect. Thank you."

He gave her a scrutinizing look before he disappeared from sight to fulfill her wishes. Perhaps, she had been too polite. Did he know she was hiding something, namely a ravenous beast inside her that wanted to use him as its plaything? _Nah!_ He couldn't possibly know the thoughts that had slowly been growing in persistence and strength, the fantasies that thrived in her dreams…

**A/N: There will probably be more if the mood strikes me :-)**


	2. Brunch

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1 or its characters…**

**Warning: Contains smut, although I think I eliminated the majority of the atrociously-written stuff.**

**Author's note: Still not really feeling this, but I'm pretty sure it's not going to get any better…**

"Mmm…" Vala moaned her contentment. The breakfast of blueberry pancakes, bacon and eggs had perfectly silenced her stomach's needs, but her body was still left with an unanswered craving, that seemed to not only persist, but flourish despite her best efforts to ignore it.

"Done?" he asked her, standing up.

"Yes," she confirmed, sizing up her prey. He seemed to be in a good mood. Maybe if she charmed him a little… "Thank you. It was delicious."

When he smiled at her, she cursed herself for the sneaky move, that he had responded, and that Seductress Vala had gained a foothold. _But it wasn't a lie_, part of her defended. And it wasn't. Breakfast had been delicious. He was surprisingly a good cook, somehow…

And now he was leaning across her, picking up her empty plate and utensils, making her temperature rise. He was so close she could feel the heat of his body. Vala almost sighed in relief when he turned away, heading toward the sink. Hastily fanning herself, she tried to force other thoughts into her head to combat the flush that spread over her skin like wildfire.

_This is ridiculous! You are an articulate, confident (and oft promiscuous) woman. You can tell him what you want!_

Finally giving in to her craving, Vala got up and anxiously made her way to the man she desired like nothing else. He was washing the breakfast dishes, absently humming an upbeat tune to himself. She would have recognized it as an ideal moment for Cameron-watching, an endearing little scene to stand back and appreciate, had she not been supremely focused on what she had decided to do.

Taking a deep breath she went for it. Maybe if she at least tried, whether or not he responded, the ravenous beast inside her would be quelled if not satiated. She slipped her arms around his waist, pressing her body against his back, burying her face into the shirt between his shoulder blades and breathed in a deep draught of his scent. The overwhelming presence of him made her knees feel weak. She leaned further into him for support. The urgency of her need faded, temporarily satisfied by the closeness to the object of its desire.

Cam had felt her presence behind him before her hands had snaked around his body and she had hugged him close. Bewildered, he had stopped washing the dishes and taken to drying his hands on the towel instead. It was a welcome distraction from the quickened pace of his heart and the feel of the feminine figure leaning into him. After a few seconds that felt like forever, in which no explanation was offered, nor any change in the uncomfortable status quo occurred, he turned to face her. Gently he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away from him enough that he could no longer feel the entirety of her body pressing against him. Unfortunately, he could still feel the heat radiating off from her, trapped and intensifying between them.

What the _hell_ was she doing? If she was doing what he thought she was doing…Nah! She was probably just hormonal and needed a hug, or to smell him or some other such pregnant woman nonsense. But still…

"Uh…Vala…" he began in a confused tone to match the consternation furrowing his brow.

"Do you remember when I agreed to live with you?" Sex-Starved Vala began confidently. Modest Vala blushed internally at the audacity of what she was about to do, and Needy Vala egged her on. He slowly nodded his head in the affirmative, still openly bemused. "I believe you said…" she knew precisely the phrase she was going to unleash on him but paused for dramatic effect. "Quote: I promise you'll have everything your little heart desires."

Okay, so she wanted something from him, something more difficult or expensive than sardines, blueberry pancakes or holding her close at night. He could do that. That was all right. What wasn't all right was the hungry glint in her eyes, which he had never before seen directed upon his person (at least not that he wanted to admit).

"I believe I said that you could have whatever you wanted…" he corrected, made uneasy by the way she was stroking his neck and chest, staring at him intently and chewing her lip in a contemplative manner, contemplative of him. "That I was capable of giving you."

She smiled a smile that would have made a more nervous man stutter, a wiser man run away, and a more wanton man ask "where and when? Right now? Okay!" Cam just stood there, incredibly uneasy as she expressed the craving she just couldn't ignore.

"Oh, you're capable of giving me this," she replied in a sultry voice. He hadn't heard her use that tone in a very long while. It disappointed him, thinking that their relationship had progressed past the point where she had to play him in order to get what she wanted or for him to like her. It didn't occur to him that the desire she was laying on might be real.

He sighed audibly and rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Vala?"

Gods, he could be so thick sometimes! He wasn't getting it at all, and her patience was growing thin with the deepening of her craving. And all because she had entertained it as a possibility. Getting straight to the point, she trailed her hand all the way down his chest and stomach and grabbed him where it counted.

Cam jumped in shock and tried to back away from her but found himself caught in between the countertop and Vala's firm yet amazingly tender clutches. And then a hand was at the back of his neck, urging his lips to meet hers.

Relenting, he met the invitation, and returned the kiss. She was soft and delicious and everything he had dreamt about. He had only really kissed her once before that he could remember. And this time was just as good, better even, as a passionate hunger seemed to enter their embrace. He had dreamt about kissing her this way, ever since the concept that they could be lovers had been presented to him when they woke up together after a night that involved far too much alcohol and fun. And it had only gotten worse since he started spending every night with her lying in his arms, although not in the way he really wanted.

He couldn't lie to himself anymore. He liked her and he wanted her. Maybe he even loved her. He had been fighting the thoughts, pretending he hadn't noticed the becoming five or so extra pounds she had put on besides the weight she had gained in her belly, how it rounded out her figure and gave her a beautiful, full look. Her hips had already begun to widen in anticipation of childbirth, and it intensified the sway in her walk and made the alluring curve of her body more pronounced. Her breasts were even already larger. He knew it all too well, for he had been dragged on a shopping trip to get things for the baby, in which Vala also had decided she needed a new bra because her other ones were crushing her. Many uncomfortable hours were spent in the store that day, but he had to admit, they were gorgeous and firm breasts, especially now as they pressed into his chest with only his t-shirt and her nightgown in between their naked, burning flesh.

But Cameron Mitchell had always been more of a hips man…which didn't help him much if he wanted to stop, because her lovely ones were currently grinding against his, as they continued to devour each other's lips and mouths. He let his hands slide down her back, as her arms wrapped around his neck, to explore the curve of her waist and ultimately rest at her glorious hips rounded with child.

The same thought seemed to occur to them at precisely the same moment, and without a word they made their way clumsily towards the bedroom, continuing their fervent embrace, their mouths engaged in their urgent and hungry exploration, their hands roaming one another's bodies.

On their journey through the apartment, which seemed to take far too long for the ravenous part of him, his mind was somehow capable of pointing out a thought, something along the lines of '_someone was taking advantage of someone else_.' However, he wasn't paying enough attention to that particular thought at that moment, so it was silent until they had to take a second to come up for air, and remove some annoying clothing that went over the head and couldn't be attended to whilst having their tongues in each other's mouths. Then it again pointed out,

_Someone is taking advantage of someone else._

To which Cameron responded, _But who exactly is taking advantage of whom?_

Maybe hormones were driving Vala mad. But Vala was driving him mad! If there was any advantage being taken, it was most definitely being taken by third parties, like hormonal urges, and insanity.

With that final thought, Cam squashed any hesitation he might have, favoring the "this is what I want" approach, and lost himself in Vala who eagerly accepted him.

…

Some hours later, Cam awoke in a state of complete contentment, only to swear when his eyes fell upon the red glow that announced the time.

**A/N: Next chapter is probably the most difficult one for me to write, mainly because of the presence of Daniel Jackson. And you thought I was having a hard time with Cam and Vala…**


	3. Lunch

**Disclaimer : I do not own Stargate SG-1 or its characters…**

**Author's note: Finally figured out a way to approach Daniel without making him come off as a complete jerk, which in my opinion, he is, to Vala, anyway. But I'm sure that's not what they had intended, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt (sorry Vid Z, I'm sure you'd appreciate some ragging on Jackson-but we'd probably be the only ones, and I might not be able to stop). **

**I believe I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I write for fun. That means that whatever pops into my brain and won't leave me alone is what I write. I appreciate reviews (they are like candy), but pointless statements do nothing. My favorite kind of reviews are the ones that use words like "plot", "narrative", "characterization", etc. Admittedly, I ****love**** to hear that someone is simply reading and enjoying my stories as well (for who doesn't love an ego stroking). Plot suggestions are also appreciated, even though I am rarely swayed from what is in my head. Entirely irrelevant statements such as "I do not like this pairing" are not helpful in any way. Maybe if some reasoning was provided (such as mine below)… But, frankly, ragging on the ship I am writing is probably not going to have any effect, either. So, if you're a Daniel/Vala shipper (and Cam/Vala hater) that somehow has made it this far into a clearly marked Cam/Vala fic, and are considering leaving me a seemingly irrelevant comment, satiate your curiosity with the explanation of why this fic is the way it is… (and understand I'm not particularly inspired, nor will ever be inclined, to write Daniel/Vala)**

**Why this is a Cam/Vala fic:**

**Firstly, and most obviously, this is a sequel to my other fic Awakenings, which is a CV ship. Secondly, Daniel Jackson is problematic for me. I adored the movie as a little girl and loved the show from the very moment it first aired, including the character of Daniel Jackson. Just somewhere along the way, I lost basis with the character, specifically when he came back from the dead. Not sure if the character changed incomprehensibly or whether I just grew up. Either way, I find it incredibly difficult to wrap my mind around the character of Daniel Jackson. (Plus I think he treats Vala like crap, but that's just me). And finally, the best reason, the reason why I'm inspired to write this pairing is the undeniably incredible chemistry between Browder and Black. Perhaps, I wouldn't have noticed it had I not watched Farscape, but I did, and I can't ****not**** pick up on it, even in its stifled form in SG-1. Maybe I haven't watched enough of the seasons with them in it, but to me it seems that the writers have picked up on this, placing them in as few scenes together as possible and shoving a Daniel/Vala thing down our throats in fear that the "Fargate" and "Starscape" tags would be proven valid. Unfortunately, this fear has led them (IMHO) to severely underutilize what they have. They are amazing together, and not just because they are two very, very attractive people. It's the looks they give one another, the tension that is almost tangible…it's just the best I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot of television/movies in my life). And I can't get it out of my head, and that is why I'm inspired to write this…**

They were late!

The panic was short-lived however, for as soon as Cam's eyes fell upon the serenely sleeping form of Vala, all sense of urgency was lost upon him. She was, undoubtedly, the single most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. And she was smiling so sweetly that he couldn't help but wonder what featured in her dreams. Part of him, a big part, hoped that it was he who she was dreaming of, who made her look so content.

But they _were_ late...

He sighed, resolving to wake the sleeping princess. (God, she _was_ a princess and he would treat her like one or die a horrible death worthy of the brothers Grimm.) Gently, he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, eliciting a soft moan from her, her lips twitching slightly in response. But asleep she remained.

Or was it just one of her games? Oh, he knew all about the games she played with him. And now he no longer had reason to pretend he didn't, to ignore them in all their flirtatious connotations.

He could play games, too. (Not that they really had the time for it…)

Leaning in close to her ear, he drawled her name in the deepest, most feral voice of which he was capable. He felt her body instinctively respond, shuddering beneath him, and smiled, pleased with his abilities. A quick check, however, informed him that Vala wasn't willing to concede quite yet. Her eyes were still closed as if she were in a deep sleep and her face remained placid.

_Fine. Round Two, it is…_

This time, when he leaned in, he continued until his lips pressed teasingly against the skin of her neck. The feathery kiss did just the trick, forcing her to gasp at the sensation, revealing that she was indeed awake. But Vala liked to win almost as much as Cam did.

Before he could pull away from her and tell her that she had to get out of bed, she slipped her arm around his shoulder and pulled him off balance. He was caught entirely off guard and collapsed onto her, finding himself instantly engulfed by her warm, soft-but not too soft-body.

They had only been together twice-well, once, really, if recollection was a requisite-but Vala proved herself to be an expert in stirring Cameron Mitchell's desire. With a few kisses and caresses, she had his heart beating like crazy, his blood pumping hot through his veins.

But they really didn't have time for this…

Unfortunately, he knew how difficult it was to distract Vala from pursuing something once her mind was set upon its possession. Maybe if there was a rare artifact (the shinier the better) at hand… No, he'd have to placate her in the only other way there was besides giving her what she appeared determined to take from him.

"Okay, Vala," he conceded. "I admit defeat."

"What do I win?" she asked playfully, nibbling at his ear whilst wrapping her legs around his waist.

"A frantic attempt to get dressed, and lunch out," he told her, regretfully pulling away from her oh-so-pleasing clutches.

Realization spread across her face like the dawn they had most definitely neglected that morning.

"Oh shit!" she used one of her favorite, and all-to-quickly adopted Earth expletives. Shoving him off from her, Vala sprung out of bed and made a mad dash for the bathroom.

Cam picked himself off of the floor where he had landed, marveling at the crazy woman he had invited into his life. She was no doubt the most remarkable individual he had ever encountered. Life _was_ interesting.

…

"Not that I don't love spending time with you all, but you must be curious as to the reason _why_ I asked you to lunch," Vala broke the silence that had descended as a natural break in conversation.

Now that the time had come, she was feeling severely anxious. Under the table, Cam's hand wrapped around hers and squeezed it reassuringly. She swallowed hard. If it hadn't been for that tryst they had earlier, Vala knew she'd probably be a thousand times tenser. Hell, without Cam's reassurance, she probably would have bailed out entirely.

She looked at her friends.

They were good friends, _real_ friends. Friends that you could count on, whether it was having your back in a firefight or sharing a good laugh. The best kind of friends. And they knew something was up. Of that, Vala was certain. The concern was there, had been there for awhile, but they respected her too much to pry. If it had been serious, no doubt they would've stuck their noses in, but as it was, her behavior had only seemed slightly odd, nothing terribly erratic or self-destructive. And it would hurt them to realize what was going on, to hear it from someone other than them. She owed her friends better than that.

It was time to tell them.

Vala swallowed hard and, with a self-conscious lick of her lips and a squeeze of Cam's hand, found the courage to face the judgment of the people who mattered most to her.

"We're pregnant."

The harsh, scrutinizing glares that Vala had expected failed to arrive. Instead, the reception of the news seemed to be generally a warm one. Sam congratulated them with one of her beautiful and radiant smiles. Teal'C bestowed a rare grin upon them, but primarily looked smug, like he was praising himself on a particularly accurate assumption on his part. And Daniel, too, had issued his congratulations with what seemed like genuine geniality. But Vala couldn't help but feel that it wasn't more than a well-intentioned facade.

She had known that informing Daniel about the baby would be the most difficult of their team mates. It seemed that hurt feelings just couldn't be avoided. She had debated telling him in a different sort of situation, a private one, just the two of them. But then she had thought that perhaps he would've been affronted by being singled out in such a way. And that was just the problem with her and Daniel Jackson. She had never really known what to make of him. It had never been truly clear what he thought about her, how he felt. Or maybe she was dense. But forgive a girl for wanting to know where she stood with a man.

And with Cameron Mitchell, she knew. When she had confronted him with the situation, he had made his intentions clear-although after what may have very likely been a brain aneurism. But he cared about her and she knew it. More importantly, he _wanted_ to take care of her, and _was_.

Whatever had been between Daniel and her-or rather, _hadn't_ been-was no longer her issue. If it was a problem, it would be his. She had enough to deal with, growing a child and getting ready to welcome it into the world. She didn't want to be cold to someone she considered a friend. But she didn't want to waste anymore time (giving herself a headache in the process) trying to figure out the mess that had been their relationship, either.

She was moving on.

…

Daniel watched the couple closely. They had obviously found something he never could get right with Vala, an ease and comfort with one another that made it look like they'd been together for years. Nothing about his relationship with the feisty woman had been remotely comfortable. And that had been the fun part.

But it was also probably the reason why it never worked out. Most of the time, he had felt like she was toying with him. It was never clear what she had wanted from him. Sometimes, most of the time, she had openly flirted with him, behaved as if she were attached to him, held some sort of affection beyond friendliness for him. But then again, she was flirtatious by nature.

He supposed he should've realized something was going on when the looks, the comments, the subtle touches, had decreased to the point of practical nonexistence. It was obvious that Cam and Vala had spent the night of Sam and Jack's wedding together. There was no doubt in his mind as to what had happened. And for a while, he had been jealous to the point of debilitation.

Eventually, he had gotten over it, rather quickly actually, once he realized they were as shocked by the occurrence as he felt. And Vala had gone back to lavishing her attentions upon him, so Daniel blindly had believed nothing had changed. In his mind, Vala was still his, whether he wanted her or not-which was the part he could never sort out in his head.

Daniel had never confronted his feelings, forced himself to figure them out, because, frankly, he had never needed to. Vala was always there, always waiting for him, pushing him. She was doing the pursuing. She was the one that wanted a relationship. He had never considered that she would lose interest.

But she had. And she was gone.

Daniel watched as the dark-haired beauty told her friend and fellow woman all about the pregnancy, her cravings, and the changes in her body. Mitchell was sitting close to her, his left hand absent from the table, no doubt around her waist. His nose hovered a mere inch or so from her face (_Did she still use that shampoo that made her smell like some exotic fruit?_), as if he were in perpetual consideration of kissing her cheek.

What hurt Daniel the worst was the way Vala was smiling. Her smile was different than what he was accustomed to seeing, and he was sad to realize that it was because the gesture was truly genuine. She was happy. No pretense, no facetious façade.

She'd never be his again.

…

"Now, that wasn't so bad was it?" Cam asked, taking Vala's jacket and hanging it up next to the door.

"No, not at all what I expected," Vala conceded, still cheerful, feeling like a tremendous weight had been lifted off from her shoulders.

"What _did_ you expect?" Cam asked, confused that she thought their friends would be anything other than happy for them. At worst, he thought they'd be disapproving but polite.

"Oh, I don't know," she replied, plopping down on the couch.

He sat down next to her, thinking he knew what the problem might be.

"Jackson seemed a little quiet," he suggested.

"Really?" Vala feigned perplexity. "Didn't notice."

"Let's not do this," Cam said a little more forcefully, anticipating the headache that would come from trying to coax the truth from Vala. Right on cue, her posture stiffened, signifying her switch from pretending nothing was wrong to being outright defensive.

"What?" she huffed.

He pinned her with an especially harsh stare that said 'Let's cut the shit.'

"I never really understood it," he softened, certain that she wasn't going to play the evasion game. "You and Jackson."

"You're not the only one," she replied.

"Oh." He looked away, unwilling to let her see the unexpected joy he felt at the revelation that Vala had never been serious with Daniel. "So you two weren't…_together?_"

"That depends on your definition of 'together'," Vala countered. How could she possibly explain something that she didn't understand herself?

"Was he…uh…Is he in love with you?" Cam asked, rubbing the back of his neck. Discussing emotions so openly always made him uncomfortable. And making another man's emotions the center of conversation felt beyond taboo. She shrugged her shoulders, avoiding looking at him. "Are you in love with him?"

"No!" she snapped, shifting to face him better. "Maybe I was…I did…feel something for him…I don't know… besides that it's over now."

Cam could only nod his head. He wasn't sure what he wanted Vala to feel for him, what he felt for her. But he didn't want to see her hurt. And if she felt torn between a man she loved and a man she felt attached to simply because she was pregnant by him, there would no doubt be a significant amount of pain coming their way.

But, apparently, that wasn't a problem he needed to worry about, to protect her from.

She leaned in close to him, and he obliged her with a kiss. It was slower than their others, but just as sweet.

Now, all he had to protect her from was himself…

**A/N: Sorry, this turned out rather fragmented. Probably because I dwell too much on an individual's thoughts and emotions and in this case, had a particularly difficult time segueing. (Did you notice how blatantly easier it was for me to write Cam and Vala scenes?)**

**Also, sorry for the rant blushes and points to author's note up top There'll be much less of that and much more emotionally-turbulent goodness next time. (They couldn't be happy throughout the entire fic, c'mon…)**


	4. Just A Snack

Author's note: This has been basically in this state for a while

**Author's note: This has been basically in this state for a while. Guess I just wasn't liking it enough to post. But neither have I done anything to improve it, so I caved and decided to leave it.**

Cam wasn't certain whether it was panic or simply that a hundred thoughts had attempted to pass through his mind at precisely the same moment. The outcome, however, was the same. He froze as he attempted to process the information. Perhaps, it was a rude response, but it was mostly involuntary. And after the way he had reacted when Vala had first told him about the pregnancy, she should be able to accept it as a mildly offensive reaction to the invitation to discuss feelings.

_I'd like to talk to you about something_, she had said. An innocent enough statement, right? Oh no, not hardly! Cam's funny-female-foibles detector, honed to acuteness by living with a pregnant woman for the past five months immediately alerted him otherwise. This was about feelings.

And he was just not ready for this conversation. He wasn't sure when he'd ever be ready for the inevitable discussion, or confession as it were. It didn't help that he was hopelessly confused whenever he even came near considering what he knew was currently on Vala's mind.

It was a question he had asked himself numerous times in the past few months. And the fact that he had to continuously raise the question in his internal dialogue only further compounded his consternation over the matter. One should be positive of the answer. Of that he was certain, even as he questioned himself once more.

Did he love Vala Mal Doran?

She was a beautiful, friendly, wonderful person. Waking up next to her every morning was a blessing, even on the bad days. Seeing her smile, making her laugh lifted his spirits like nothing else ever had. Despite how completely trite it seemed, Cam even found himself enjoying the comfortable silences. At least they were comfortable, until the tension of things unsaid began to build between them. But he couldn't say it, could he?

He just wasn't sure. And he couldn't do that to her, make such a commitment only to take it back. And he no doubt would. She shouldn't suffer because he had issues. It was his job to protect her from that.

"Cam?" she probed gently, thinking he was a million miles away, not realizing how close to her his thoughts actually resided.

"Huh?" Shaking his head, he forced himself back into the moment. He finally looked at her, and found her markedly calm despite the anxiousness in her eyes. And she was still glowing. As of late, she appeared radiant all the time. He wasn't sure if the pregnancy truly made her skin glow, or if it was only in his own perception of her. And that was the problem. Was it truly love? Or was he enamored of her because of the child growing inside of her? "Oh, sorry. You were going to say something?"

"Why don't you sit down?" she asked, patting the bed beside her. This must be serious, if she wanted him to sit despite knowing his impatient tendencies. A small bit of him clung to hope. Maybe it wasn't the conversation he was expecting...

Relenting to those big, pleading eyes, he sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. She took his hand but momentarily seemed unable to look at him. This was going where he though it was. And it wasn't going to be pleasant, because he couldn't let her lie to herself. He couldn't lead her on.

She looked up, her eyes meeting his. And his heart broke at what he found in their depths. Love. She loved him. But Cam just couldn't believe that it was genuine. No, that was wrong. She probably felt it, maybe even whole-heartedly, but that didn't mean it would last. Would she still feel that way after their child was born? If she did, how about after several months and the novelty of their domestic situation wore off? How about after a year? Or two? Was it the forever kind? Or was there any such thing? And did he love her?

Vala took a deep breath before she began to speak, to confess. "Cam, I-

"No, Vala, don't," he interrupted her as gently as possible. "You're just confused. It's because of the baby-"

She tore her hand away from his and with a brief amount of struggling rose to her feet, her back turned to him. When she faced him once more, Cam knew the discussion had turned into an argument, and it wasn't going to end well.

'I'm sorry.' The preemptive apology didn't even have the chance to pass over his lips before she was mid-tirade.

"I see how it is!" Vala exclaimed, frustrated beyond reason. "It must be the hormones. Vala is crazy! She cannot possibly know what she's feeling!"

"Well, talking about yourself in the third person isn't exactly going to prove otherwise," Cam muttered, antagonized beyond his point of control. Immediately, he regretted it. Insulting Vala only exacerbated the situation.

Giving him a scathing look, she fell silent. He could only watch on in shock as she quietly went to the closet and pulled out a suitcase. It was the first one she had brought to his place. He remembered watching her tenderly remove its contents, her favorite material possessions. And for someone who salivated over rare treasures or even the thought of treasures, they were surprisingly not laden with gold or other bits of shine. They were the treasures of the real Vala.

And now he watched her remove them from the various places amongst his own things, what had become their home, _her_ home. Each time she took an item and nestled it in the suitcase, Cam profoundly felt the emptiness and loss. It was as if she were tearing out bits of his soul. But it was better this way, that he was the one suffering the pain, rather than causing her the hurt later. Wasn't it?

But despite all the doubts, the agony of confused and conflicting thoughts and emotions, Cam did not want her to leave.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, finally coming back to his senses, angry that she was behaving the way she was, and that she had felt the need to bring up their unspoken issues at all.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she snapped back.

Yelling at her, scolding her, in short, losing his temper was not going to resolve this situation. So, instead he gave her a sad look, a glimpse into the depths of what he was truly feeling. Vala made him happy, but she also made him sad.

Turning away, she chose to ignore his silent plea. She was sick of unspoken thoughts, of repressed feelings and deeply buried secrets. If he wanted her to know, he'd have to say it. Zipping up the suitcase, she turned to face him once more.

"Goodbye, Cameron Mitchell," she said coldly, burying the grief alongside the affection she had attempted to express to him. "Unless you can give me a good reason to stay." He opened his mouth, but she cut off the arguments he had given her the first time he had talked her into moving in. "And there's only the one."

Biting his cheek, he shook his head without saying a word. And Cam thought he had seen her in emotional pain before, but it was nothing in comparison to the look she gave him then. He wasn't sure if it was fortunate or not, but the agony of a broken heart flashed in her eyes only briefly. And then she was gone.

"Don't forget your coat!" He lashed out in his own pain, and anger that she couldn't just leave things be. "It's cold out there!"

The door slammed, shaking the walls of the apartment, and he swore violently. Didn't she know he was just trying to protect her, to keep from saying things she'd regret later?

…

"Your husband isn't awfully nice, making you leave in your condition," the taxi driver commented to Vala, after he had stowed her suitcase in the trunk and helped her into the backseat.

"What's you name?" Vala asked the man as he got behind the wheel.

"Larry," he supplied.

"Well, Larry, it's my choice," Vala explained, now resigned to her decision. "And he's not my husband."

"Anytime a woman leaves a man, there's no doubt it's his fault in one way or another," Larry the taxi driver philosophized. Silence fell between them as Vala contemplated the rather deep thoughts for such an ordinary man as what Larry appeared to be.

"Take me to a hotel," Vala ordered, realizing the concerned man was giving her a chance to recant her decision.

…

Vala plopped down on the bed with a significant sigh. But she refused to cry. And she was not going to be the one to cave, not this time.

The baby began to move around inside of her, kicking and jostling her insides like crazy.

"Hey!" She scolded loudly, placing her hands on the beach ball of flesh that was her belly. "It's not my fault your father's being a stubborn…"

"…_bastard_," she mouthed silently. Then she added in a normal voice, "Don't tell him I used that kind of language in front of you."

She sighed again, absently rubbing her swollen belly in an attempt to placate the riled child.

While she was away from her h-Cam, she might as well enjoy her break, the time to herself. But what to do?

Her stomach provided her with an easy answer.

"Have you ever tried room service, Timmy?" She had been trying out different names for the child, her son. She scrunched up her face as the child wiggled inside her again. _Definitely not_ Timmy.

_Excuse me, ma'am, but that sounds like more than a snack._ The friendly voice said after Vala had placed her order-well, more list of demands. _Maybe you'd rather I send a dinner menu up?_

Vala considered the offer for a few minutes before responding.

"That would be lovely," she finally said before hanging up the phone. There was something the woman had said that stuck in her brain, that started her thinking, on her way to seeing things more clearly.

The woman had gotten it exactly right. Vala didn't want a snack. She wanted a meal.

And all Cameron Mitchell was giving her was a snack, placating her, giving her just enough to hold her over, to keep her stomach from rumbling. Oh, he saw to all of her physical needs, every last one. And for a while she had felt guilty about the pampering. But then she realized that he wasn't actually giving her anything of substance, what she really wanted from him, what would sustain her, let her flourish.

It was like being given bread and water. No, not that bad. He gave her sweets, too. And they were wonderful. And in those moments, she was certain he had what she really wanted, that she wasn't crazy for thinking it was there.

But still, emotionally, she was starving to death.

What was it with men? Or was it just the ones she was attracted to? Daniel hadn't wanted to return even her basic affection. And now, Cam appeared unwilling to return her love.

"Is your mother that horrible?" she inquired quietly of her child, who had finally settled down inside her. Tears silently streamed over her porcelain skin.

Knocking at the hotel room door broke her self-indulgent reverie, changed her grief to resolve. She had left him because he was the one with the issues, not _her_. And until he realized his fault, she would just relax and enjoy herself.

He would miss her terribly, but she would still have people to wait on her. He'd crack first.

She was sure of it.

**A/N: What's up with Cam? Why is he being so cold to Vala? Will she have to beat some sense into him? Stay tuned…**


	5. Dinner

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1 or its characters…

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1 or its characters…**

**Author's Note: Sorry…this took longer than I had intended (and probably could use a couple more edits). I think I was afraid of making Cam seem like either a: a.) jerk, or b.) pansy. Hopefully, I avoided this... And even though last chapter was primarily Vala-centric and this one was meant to be Cam-centric, she just couldn't butt out entirely.**

Cameron Mitchell placed his head in his hands and silently berated himself until he was assured that his faults were akin to those of the least repentant murderer.

She had pushed him one too many times.

And he had shoved back…_hard_.

Instantaneously, he had recognized his error, had run to stop her, to apologize. It had been too late. She was already gone.

_But would you have really apologized, anyway?_

Again, the inner critic laid blame without restraint. He was a horrible person; the worst kind of person. He was a liar.

'It's not my fault,' he defended. 'It's just not that simple.'

_You think she doesn't have issues? That no one else is complex?_

He couldn't contend with that. If anyone in the galaxy had personal demons and a convoluted past, it was Vala. But she was always true to her nature. She hadn't lied to him once…well, not about her true character or feelings. Everything that streamed from her mouth had seemed a perpetual torrent of mistruths and deceptions; flattery to blind others, trickery to make them comply.

And he had used it as an excuse, that she was lying to herself, too, fooling herself into believing that she could genuinely care for him, love him.

Had he known he was wrong?

Yes.

But it was easier to believe that she was simply pretending to falsely feel something for him than it was to blame himself for his inability to accept her, even though he had indeed wanted her to be part of his life.

Pacing the room only seemed to increase his anxiety. The guilt was only augmented with every passing moment. He tried to focus on the worry instead. At least that was efficient.

Where would she have gone?

No doubt she would not answer her cell phone, knowing it was him. Damn him for ever teaching her how to program ring tones. If she hadn't assigned a specific one to him, there would be at least a chance that she'd answer without checking to see who it was first.

Vala was a social creature. Maybe she would've sought a sympathetic ear which to complain to about his mistreatment of her. Sam would probably be the best bet.

…

Sam hadn't heard from the missing woman, but as per usual, she had instantly conjured up a logical course of action, one that he was too distraught-or just too plain simple-to see: They all had sub-dermal locator chips. (God, had he felt like the government owned him that day…)

Yes, Lady Luck was smiling upon him. He was lucky to have a friend like Samantha Carter, who not only gave him sound advice and offered solutions, but was willing to obtain the information he needed in a considerately inconspicuous manner.

And then there was Vala. Luck didn't even begin to describe his fortune upon finding her. It had been strange circumstances, but lucky ones that led to her incorporation into his life. But that was part of the problem, too.

Cameron Mitchell was not a very lucky man. Whenever things seemed to finally be going his way, they took a turn for the worse. Hard work had gotten him into the seat of a F302, only to be smashed along with it into a frozen wasteland. Hard work had overcome his injuries, only to see that his dream of joining SG-1 was not going to be realized in the way he had hoped. And so, again he had set his jaw, and with a severe amount of (what he knew to be aggravating) persistence, he got what he wanted.

And that was only in the last few years of his life. Actually, if one looked at his pathetic existence on the whole-and believed in higher powers, one could easily conclude that he had done something to royally piss off somebody whose opinion mattered upstairs. When in an especially selfish and woeful mood, he imagined himself akin to epic heroes of old. Someone must delight in making him suffer. Or is it that a hero is only proven by his ability to persist through adversity?

Either way, his paranoia about the universe's vendetta against him was no reason to slight Vala as he had. She cared about him. And she was important; the most important thing in his life.

Hell, he could give a damn about saving the universe if she was sad.

The problem was that the situation had turned from him taking care of her to her pursuit of a more substantial relationship. And that was what had placed him on the defensive. How could he _not_ be hesitant to voice that kind of commitment? Especially after…

Well, that wasn't going to happen, not with Vala.

…

Despite Vala's tendency to tease, it was not in her nature to be cruel. She wanted those around her to be happy, to feel at ease. A tense situation never lasted long in her presence before she felt compelled to resolve it.

But she also had her pride.

And she was counting on it to forbid her from relenting too soon and accepting any semi-sincere apology and less-than-satisfactory terms from Cam. When he came crawling back to her (and she was positive he would), he had better have sincerely explored and determined what his feelings were. Because if she had any doubt as to his earnestness…

Fitfully she tossed and turned in the scratchy hotel sheets all night. Fabric so irritating to skin must result from harsh chemical cleaners, right? So at least it was clean.

She tried to blame the sheets, the mattress, the temperature of the room, the smell…anything and everything besides the true reason for insomnia: She missed him much, much more than she ought.

How did she get to this point?

She had been the definition of independent. Within the wide galaxy, possibly universe, there was no woman more burden-free than she. Sure, there were numerous debts and probably enough people with vendettas against her to populate a small colony and start their own 'Vala Mal Doran is the Devil' religion. But they had hardly weighed on her mind, not until they caught up to her anyway.

Then she had met some people from a small, backward planet called Earth.

Now she was a member of an organization foolishly bent upon saving the universe whenever possible, over eight months pregnant, trying to make a man love her, and ultimately, all alone. Before, loneliness was unpleasant, but it was never torturous. Finding herself temporarily without companionship used to be a relief. Now it made her want to cry.

Why didn't he love her?

What had she done?

What was so bad about her?

How could she love him so much and get nothing in return?

True, she had done bad things, horribly unkind things, even when she didn't have the excuse of being possessed by a Goa'uld. But did she really deserve this?

Releasing an immense sigh of desperation, she conceded to the insomnia and, with some struggle, turned on the bedside lamp and sat up.

Picking up her cell phone of the bedside table, she turned it on for the first time since she had stormed out of Cam's apartment. Before, she had been too furious to talk to him, or even hear the phone ring, knowing it was him.

Now, she sought the messages he had left, longing to hear his voice again. He had accused her of mistaking hormone-fueled feelings for genuine affection. She knew he was wrong about that. But she could not deny that it was being pregnant that made the rather brief separation from him so much more poignant and distressing.

And he didn't sound as distressed as she would've hoped, but his normally smooth tenor had the edge of remorse to it. Neither of that mattered as much as simply hearing him again. Something so simple and seemingly irrelevant probably shouldn't have soothed her so, but it did.

And finally, she found some rest.

…

Groveling wasn't really his thing, but if that's what it took… Cameron was willing to do just about anything. But he knew he couldn't give in to that urge, not really. It wasn't placation, it was respect that Vala really needed, wanted.

If he had treated her with the respect she deserved, he would've been honest with her instead of pushing her away. So despite the proven fact that flowers were an integral part to an apology between lovers, he went to her empty-handed: what he had to offer her wasn't as tangible or superfluous as a pretty bouquet.

Concentrating hard, he prevented his anxiety from showing through as he knocked on the hotel room door in a slow, steady manner. Sam had pinpointed the missing woman's location to several city blocks, in which there was only one hotel that would meet Vala's tastes. Thankfully, she was an unforgettable woman. The desk clerk had an acute memory and description of the dark-haired, charismatic, and very pregnant beauty.

Cam was prepared for the worst: the classic and effective door-slam. He also had half-expected her to instinctively know it was him and not answer the door at all. So it was more than surprise that overwhelmed him when she not only opened the door, but also almost smiled at him.

However, as always, Vala was quick to recover her emotions and the joy lighting her features was extinguished in a flash, replaced by a grim, steady look. It gave Cam the hopes of amends but the certainty that they would not be made easily.

"Uh…hi," he tried in a tone meant to be genial but not placating. She glared before shifting on her feet, looking uncomfortable. A delicate hand that he so badly wanted to take in his went to support her large belly. Apparently, the minute or so it had taken to answer the door was too long for her abused back and feet.

"Can I come in?" he hazarded. There really wasn't anything else he could do but try. Vala conceded with a stark nod of her head. She appeared to be chewing the inside of her cheek.

Not good. She was all kinds of pissed.

_And doesn't she have every right to be?_

"Maybe you should sit down?" he suggested, as he began to pace slightly and she simply stood, glaring.

The suggestion was answered with an even meaner flare of anger in her eyes, one that intimated she'd as soon rip his heart out with her bare hands than do what he said.

On the upside, she refrained from going Mola Ram on his ass.

She did say she loved him…

"Vala, I…" Cam stopped pacing about to face the consequences of his actions. Not only did she deserve the respect of being looked in the eye, but he deserved to see the pain he had put there. "I'm sorry."

She gave him a look that seemed to dare him to follow it with 'Will you come home, now?' or 'There, I said it, what more do you want?' If she thought him capable of that, then he had indeed done something very stupid.

"I treated you…badly," he continued, fast realizing that she wasn't about to respond, that she was steeling herself against reacting to him. That was either a very good sign, or a very, very bad one. If she was being cold because she thought she'd break down and accept his apology when she shouldn't, that meant there was the hope of reconciliation. If she had truly given up, and hardened her heart to him, then anything he tried was futile.

"I thought I was protecting you." No. Excuses weren't going to work. And the time for lies was long past. Besides, lies were what had gotten him into this mess. "No. That's not true."

Vala's expression softened slightly and he was encouraged to continue.

"I was being selfish, Vala. I was protecting myself from…well…_you_." Okay, this was getting too difficult. Maybe she'd understand what he was trying to say, because he really didn't want to have to expose all of his feelings and insecurities. It was bad enough that she had already forced him to explore them. Giving voice to them was… he rather go through the rite of Kel shak lo again.

He looked pleadingly at her, hoping that she'd grant him a reprieve from spilling his guts. Her eyes had always been so expressive, and now they pushed him to continue: He had hurt her and he wasn't going to be forgiven without some penance.

"My life is far from horrible, but I've suffered along with the rest. Sometimes I swear the galaxy is out to get me. Before that I just thought it was the planet or God, but... there was no one to blame." He hesitated, the flood of unpleasant memories briefly overwhelming. "And that made it kind of worse, you know?"

Vala had finally sat down upon the end of the bed before him. She took his hand gently in hers, drawing his attention somewhat away from the pain of the past. The sadness in her eyes mirrored the one that had weighed upon him for so long.

"Who was she?" she asked quietly. Cam couldn't remember ever hearing her speak so softly or sweetly, her voice so soothing it made him want to be held by her forever. He sat down beside her. Maybe it was time. Maybe he was ready…

"Her name was Emily," he said, his voice low with bittersweet reminiscence. "And I _loved her_."

"And…" Vala gently prompted. A sigh escaped Cameron's lips, one born of years upon years of repression.

"And she died." A strangled noise, ever so faint, emerged from Vala's throat. It was sympathetic in its reserved manner of condolence. He knew she felt his pain, had taken it as her own, and instead offering placating words, she gave him strength.

"You've never told anyone about her, have you?" It was the lightest of whispers, but was announced with such certainty. Had the question come from anyone besides Vala, or Vala herself in another state, Cam would've deemed it impertinent and accusatory. But as her hand traced soothing circles over his back, any defensive anger he felt melted into oblivion.

"No," he conceded plainly.

"Why?" Apparently, she wasn't stopping until she was certain he had gotten it all out in the open. He half-expected her to tell him it was 'for his own good.'

"I don't know." It was the most depressing conversation in his life. At least when the doctor told him he might never walk again, he could fall back on his obstinacy to fuel his resilience. With this, there was no one to blame or fight. It was an impossible situation for Cam, and one that he was rarely in, dwelling on the negative. He usually just ignored it, especially if there was nothing he could do to remedy it.

"You didn't want to share your pain. You wanted to keep her to yourself, even if it meant you'd never move on." Vala offered explanation to his repression of the sorrow. He was right when he had argued against himself, that Vala was anything but a vacuous twit. She had more experience in her little finger than entire communities of people. She had suffered, too. And she understood, knew exactly what to say. "You know, letting go…it doesn't mean you loved her any less."

Cam nodded his head in silent agreement, swallowing back the heartache that threatened, a pain smarting as fresh as that day he had lost the woman he loved…well, one of the women he loved. He had found another. The thought that he, too, could loose Vala was enough to make him want to run and hide forever.

Instead, Cam tried to explain his fears, his hesitation, now desperate that she understand and forgive him. "People I love… everything I've ever wanted… there's always a hidden price somewhere. Things never stay good."

"Stop being so paranoid!" she scolded, finally returning to her normal, animated self, slapping the side of his head lightly. "Despite what people on this selfish, _small_ planet believe, they are not the center of the universe. And if there are any higher beings-other than the Alterans-they most definitely have better things to do than waste time making one pathetic little man miserable!"

Cam sighed, leaning his head against her shoulder. She sure did have a way of cutting through all the crap, which he admittedly was beginning to admire as well as appreciate. He returned her the favor with his own bit of honesty:

"Do you know what? I think I _do _love you."

He didn't have to look to know that Vala was rolling her eyes. Neither did he have to see the contented smile upon her lips to know it was there.

They were okay.

**A/N: 500 pts if you caught the movie reference in there. One chapter left, I think…**


	6. Dessert

"Now Caleb," she addressed the enormous bulge that was her stomach (they had finally settled on a name), rubbing it gently to

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1 or its characters…**

**Author's Note: So…yeah…here it is; last chapter. I believe this would qualify as the pure fluff chapter. (Just a warning pertaining to accuracy-I don't pretend to understand childbirth beyond biological terms.) Also, apologies to the traditionalists, but in my mind it's just not like Cam and Vala to have to get married to legitimize their commitment.**

"Now Caleb," she addressed the enormous bulge that was her stomach, rubbing it gently to soothe herself as much as the child within. "This is your mother. And I am ordering you to come out of there right this minute!"

Chuckling from across the room broke her concentration and she looked up to find Cameron staring at her with a severe look of amusement upon his face. She shrugged her shoulders.

"It was worth a try," she sighed. Shifting where she sat upon the end of the bed, Vala let out a controlled breath. She was just SO uncomfortable.

"Tired?" he asked, sitting down next to her, placing an arm comfortingly around her. She nodded wordlessly, before she laid her head against his shoulder. Groaning, she buried her face into him, her hand once again returning to her huge pregnant belly.

"How much longer until he's ready to leave me?" she moaned.

"Must be a momma's boy," Cam supplied, smiling. He was incredibly happy. He couldn't imagine how he'd feel once their son was born, but he hoped it would be soon, for Vala's sake.

He knew she was suffering and he couldn't do much about it, which frustrated him greatly. It seemed that she was always uncomfortable, if not in outright pain. She couldn't even sleep unless the pillows and blankets had been arranged precisely, and sometimes not even then, if Caleb refused to settle inside her.

And there would be no reprieve until it happened naturally. Dr. Lam was refusing to induce labor on account of Vala not being from Earth. He supposed the doctor was right. They didn't know if there were subtle differences in her physiology, or what affect they had on her or the baby. Not having paid specific attention to the child-rearing aspect of her peers, Vala couldn't tell them whether a pregnancy lasting through eleven months was normal or not.

…

Vala was walking the halls, trapped in the horrible, and periodically painful but consistently uncomfortable limbo of prelabor labor. Dr. Lam had told her it would be awhile yet, even though her water had broken many, many hours ago and she felt the stabbing pain of a contraction every five or so minutes without fail. She fought the urge to cry.

It should have been a joyous time, or at least one of relief. She had been outright pleading with the child to be born for a solid two months, but now that he had obliged her, Vala wasn't sure what she was feeling, besides severely uncomfortable.

Emotionally, something just wasn't right.

She wasn't frightened, was she? Not of the pain anyway. She had done this before, delivered a child. Although it had been quite a different experience bringing the Orici into the universe to wreak havoc upon a galaxy of happily settled civilizations. Where this pregnancy lasted for what seemed an abnormally long period of time for a woman on Earth, giving life to Adria had taken an inordinately minute fraction of Vala's own life.

Suddenly, Vala felt worse, like she couldn't breathe, and the world began to spin around her. She placed her palms flat on the wall and used them to support her weight as she tried to catch her breath.

As soon as he saw her leaning against the wall, Cam knew something was wrong. He ran the rest of the length of the hallway to the side of the woman who was about to bring his child into the world. Abandoning the glass of water he had been fetching for her upon the floor, he placed a hand on her arm and used the other to rub her shoulders and back, to comfort her.

"Contraction?" he asked, instinctively knowing it wasn't the case. He had witnessed her handle quite a number of them over the past ten or so hours, and what he was currently reading on her face was not the expression of determination and control mastering pain. This was a different sort of suffering, one that threatened to overwhelm her. And Cam was fairly certain he knew its source.

He had never seen her look so sad, frightened even. Taking her hands, he placed them at the back of his neck, and put his own delicately at her waist, relieving Vala of a fraction of the weight, of the physical burden she was bearing. He wished he could relieve her emotional burden as well. Rubbing his cheek to hers, he felt the moisture of tears upon her tender flesh and could no longer bear her apparent grief.

"Can you tell me what's wrong?" he ventured, desperate to fix it. How did he get to this place, where simply seeing Vala upset would tear relentlessly at his heart?

"I'm afraid," she confessed in a barely audible whisper that wrenched his insides.

"Everything will be fine," he tried to soothe her. "It will all be over soon. Everything will be okay. You'll see."

"It's not that..." Vala objected then trailed off as another contraction took hold. Her fingers dug into the collar of his shirt and her face screwed up with a look of determination and pain, her emotional turmoil temporarily forgotten as she struggled to control her breathing. The contraction passed, leaving her to return to her distressful thoughts.

Cam played the confused and concerned partner, rather than confronting Vala with what he thought was troubling her. "I don't understand, Vala. What's bothering you?"

"I'm not fit to be a mother," she lamented, unable to look the father of her child in the eyes. He had treated her well, supported her, and she at least owed him the truth. For it would affect him as well as their son.

"That's not true!" he wholeheartedly objected, pulling away from Vala enough to look her in the face. "You love Caleb, and you've taken great care of him."

"No," she objected, beginning to cry. "What if I fail him, like I..."

She tried to look away but Cam wouldn't permit her the luxury of hiding any longer.

"...failed Adria?" he finished her thought. "Is that really what you think?"

He knew it was true, but couldn't see how Vala could think Adria had been her fault. It simply wasn't. How could he make her see that? How could he reassure her, make her happy and eager to meet their son once more?

"I've been through this before. I thought I had come to terms with it. But I just can't help thinking that if I had really tried..." Vala gave voice to worries that had haunted her for a long while. "If I had really loved her...maybe-"

"No," Cam cut her off. "Don't do this to yourself. It wasn't your fault. They took her from you. Hell, she wasn't even yours before she was born! You were not responsible for what happened."

"But she was my child!" Vala objected. "My flesh, part of me! Just like him."

Her hand went to rest on the enormous bulk of her belly. Cam's followed suit as he contradicted her.

"No. He's ours, yours and mine. The Ori are dead and gone. They had no part in his conception and will never have any control over his life. That's our job, and you're more than capable of raising him right. I know it."

Cam hugged her as close and tight as he dared, rocking her gently as they stood in the empty hallway. The action, or (as he hoped) his words seemed to calm her as she relaxed into his embrace. Her breathing slowed and she sighed contently into his shoulder.

In that moment everything was so peaceful and he felt so close to her. Cam found himself hoping it would last forever. Unfortunately, that just wasn't possible. But a few more seconds would've been nice.

Her warm embrace turned into a coarser one as her nails dug into his shoulders. He heard her breathing turn rapid and strained again.

"Oh!" she cried. Her hand returned to her stomach as she pulled away from him, looking as if she were about to double over. "Baby now!"

"Now?!" he parroted.

"Yes!" she shouted. "Right now!"

He stood dumbfounded for a moment. Really, what had he expected? She had been in labor so long, pregnant so long, that it seemed surreal, like the event would never actually happen.

"Help me!" she barked, snapping him out of his shocked reverie.

"Oh, right!" Cam jumped to her side, wrapping an arm her and draping one of hers behind his neck. He helped her to make her way down the (what seemed like a mile-long) hallway, back to the infirmary. "Let's find Dr. Lam."

Her only response to his efforts was the sound of controlled breathing.

...

It hadn't taken long after he got Vala back to the infirmary. Well, that was probably a matter of perspective. Cam was positive it had felt much longer for the woman giving birth than it had for either the doctor delivering the baby or its father.

They were all settled in now, which was a relief. Vala was tucked up in an infirmary bed, a luxury she deserved after the effort she had put forth. Their son was tucked lovingly into her proud arms.

Cam sat down on the edge of her bed, admiring her exhausted yet radiant face. He cupped her cheek and adoringly wiped the sweat from her brow with his thumb before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you," he whispered, afraid to disturb the serenity surrounding them by speaking too loudly.

"I love you, too," she returned just as quietly.

"And I'm _so_ proud of you," he added.

"Me, too," she replied with a smile, returning her attention to her son. "I made him."

She beamed at the world in general before glancing specifically at Cameron. "_We_ made him."

Studying her face confirmed his thoughts. He had never seen Vala so happy. She furthered his conclusion with a satisfied sigh.

"They never let me hold _her_ like this," Vala revealed. It was a sad thought to consider, seeing the mother-child bond so significantly and tangibly displayed before him. No wonder Adria had turned out so horrible. No wonder Vala had such a hard time forgiving her self. "And there was no one there to support me like you were here for me."

She looked momentarily sad. This was no time for such melancholy.

"I'll always be here to support you, and Caleb," he said. She looked at him with a desperate hope pleading from her eyes.

"Do you promise?" she asked.

"I promise," he answered, knowing it was the most important pledge he had ever made in his life. And it seemed to satisfy her. She returned to smiling at him, her whole face was a guiding light.

"Want to hold him again?" she asked. Vala _must_ love him, Cam concluded. It was obvious that giving up her newborn son, even for the few minutes to him, was not an easy thing for her to do. It was apparent in her every look and gesture, the way she held him so close, that she wanted him all to herself.

At least it was with joyful reluctance that she eased the child into Cam's arms, where he was fawned over between both of his parents.

"Caleb Mal Doran Mitchell," Cam said aloud, getting a real feel for the words, as his mind inscribed them upon the infant's face. Vala bestowed her broadest grin upon her boys (and for once, the term was accurate-they were_ all_ _hers_).

"It's a good name," Cam concluded, returning the smile.

"It is," Vala agreed.

END

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Hope it satisfied if not entertained.**


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